Metal Casting Processes Categories
1. Expendable mold processes - mold is
sacrificed to remove part
Advantage: more complex shapes possible
Disadvantage: production rates often limited by
time to make mold rather than casting itself
2. Permanent mold processes - mold is made
of metal and can be used to make many
castings
Advantage: higher production rates
Disadvantage: geometries limited by need to open
mold
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Casting Processes
Sand Casting
Shell Molding
Vacuum Molding
Expanded Polystyrene Process Or Evaporative Pattern
Casting (EPC) or Lost foam process
Investment Casting or Lost wax process
Plaster Mold and Ceramic Mold Casting
Centrifugal casting
Continuous casting
Squeeze casting
Die casting process
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Shell Molding
Casting process in which the mold is a thin shell
of sand held together by resin binder
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Advantages and Disadvantages
of Shell Molding
Advantages:
Smoother cavity surface permits easier flow of
molten metal and better surface finish on casting
Good dimensional accuracy
Machining often not required
Mold collapsibility usually avoids cracks in casting
Can be mechanized for mass production
Disadvantages:
More expensive metal pattern
Difficult to justify for small quantities
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Applications
Cylinders and cylinder heads for air cooled IC
Engines
Automobile Transmission parts
Cast tooth bevel gears
Brake beam
Chain seat bracket
Small crankshaft
Refrigerator valve plate
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Investment Casting (Lost Wax)
A pattern made of wax is coated with a refractory
material to make mold, after which wax is
melted away prior to pouring molten metal
"Investment" comes from one of the less
familiar definitions of "invest" - "to cover
completely," which refers to coating of
refractory material around wax pattern
It is a precision casting process - capable of
castings of high accuracy and intricate detail
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Investment Casting (Lost Wax)
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Advantages and Disadvantages of
Investment Casting
Advantages:
Parts of great complexity and intricacy can be cast
Close dimensional control and good surface finish
Wax can usually be recovered for reuse
Additional machining is not normally required - this
is a net shape process
Disadvantages:
Many processing steps are required
Relatively expensive process
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Applications
Jewelry and surgical instruments
Vanes and blades for gas turbines
Pawls and claws for movie cameras,
Wave guides for radars
Stainless steel valve bodies
Impeller for turbo chargers
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Expanded Polystyrene Process
Uses a mold of sand packed around a polystyrene foam
pattern which vaporizes when molten metal is poured
into mold
Other names: lost-foam process, lost pattern process,
evaporative-foam process, and full-mold process
Polystyrene foam pattern includes sprue, risers, gating
system, and internal cores (if needed)
Mass production of castings for automobile engines
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Evaporative Pattern
Casting
Advantages & Disadvantages of EPC
Advantages:
Pattern need not be removed from the mold
Simplifies and expedites mold-making, since two
mold halves (cope and drag) are not required as in
a conventional green-sand mold
Disadvantages:
A new pattern is needed for every casting
Economic justification of the process is highly
dependent on cost of producing patterns
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Permanent Mold Casting Processes
Economic disadvantage of expendable mold
casting: a new mold is required for every
casting
In permanent mold casting, the mold is reused
many times
The major processes include:
Basic permanent mold casting
Die casting
Centrifugal casting
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The Basic Permanent Mold Process
Uses a metal mold constructed of two sections
designed for easy, precise opening and closing
Molds used for casting lower melting point
alloys are commonly made of steel or cast iron
Molds used for casting steel must be made of
refractory material, due to the very high
pouring temperatures
Due to high mold cost, process is best suited to
high volume production and can be automated
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accordingly
The Basic Permanent Mold Process
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Advantages and Limitations of
Permanent Mold Casting
Advantages:
Good dimensional control and surface finish
More rapid solidification caused by the cold metal
mold results in a finer grain structure, so stronger
castings are produced
Limitations:
Generally limited to metals of lower melting point
Simple part geometries compared to sand casting
because of the need to open the mold
High cost of mold
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Applications
Automobile piston
Stators
Gear blanks
Connecting rods
Aircraft fittings
Cylinder blocks etc.
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Die Casting
A permanent mold casting process in which
molten metal is injected into mold cavity under
high pressure
Pressure is maintained during solidification,
then mold is opened and part is removed
Molds in this casting operation are called dies;
hence the name die casting
Use of high pressure to force metal into die
cavity is what distinguishes this from other
permanent mold processes
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Die Casting Machines
Designed to hold and accurately close two
mold halves and keep them closed while liquid
metal is forced into cavity
Two main types:
1. Hot-chamber machine
2. Cold-chamber machine
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Gravity die casting
Hot-Chamber Die Casting
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Hot-Chamber Die Casting
Metal is melted in a container, and a piston
injects liquid metal under high pressure into the
die
High production rates - 500 parts per hour not
uncommon
Applications limited to low melting-point metals
that do not chemically attack plunger and other
mechanical components
Casting metals: zinc, tin, lead, and magnesium
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Cold-Chamber Die Casting
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Cold-Chamber Die Casting
Molten metal is poured into unheated chamber from
external melting container, and a piston injects metal
under high pressure into die cavity
High production but not usually as fast as hot-chamber
machines because of pouring step
Casting metals: aluminum, brass, and magnesium
alloys
Advantages of hot-chamber process favor its use on
low melting-point alloys (zinc, tin, lead)
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Advantages & Limitations of Die Casting
Advantages:
Economical for large production quantities
Good dimensional accuracy and surface finish
Thin sections are possible
Rapid cooling provides small grain size and good strength to
casting
Disadvantages:
Generally limited to metals with low metal points
Part geometry must allow removal from die cavity
Porosity - due to air & gasses entrained in the filling process
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Applications
Carburettors,
Crank cases
Magnetos
Head lamp bezels
Many parts of scooter, motor cycles and mopeds
etc.
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Vacuum-Casting
Process
Centrifugal Casting process
Squeeze casting
Continuous-
Casting
Casting Quality
There are numerous opportunities for things to
go wrong in a casting operation, resulting in
quality defects in the product
The defects can be classified as follows:
Defects common to all casting processes
Defects related to sand casting process
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General Casting Defects
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Sand Casting Defects
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Product Design Considerations:
Simplify Part:
mold-making, cores, casting strength
Draft Angles:
part and pattern removal
Redesign Sharp Corners & Angles:
sources of stress concentrations, may cause cracks
Dimesional Tolerances & Surface Finish:
sand casting v/s die casting
Machining Allowances:
1.5-3 mm for sand casting
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